brigade．”
26 4)Why did his wife go upstairs with the old lady when the firemen left?
I banged on the door，but the old lady took a long time to answer．I was turning over in my mind the idea of breaking the door down when she finally appeared．
“I was having a bath，”she said，“when the water heater in the kitchen blew up．”
“Why didn’t you open the door?”I asked her． “I was getting dressed when you knocked，”she said，looking embarrassed． I took her downstairs to our flat．Then I ran back，went inside the old lady's flat and turned the gas off to prevent another explosion．Smoke was pouring out of the kitchen and the heater was in flames．Just then I heard a fire engine arriving outside and the heavy footsteps of the firemen on the stairs．I looked round and noticed two of them standing in the doorway.“It’s in here．’’I said． “You turned up promptly，I must say．” When I got back to our flat，my wife was making the old lady a cup of tea．Soon afterwards，the fire chief came in to ask some questions．It turned out that the fire was not very serious and the firemen were already putting it out when they left，my wife went up with the old lady to help her clear up the mess．
When she returned，my wife remarked：“it’s all right now．Nothing was damaged except the heater．But wasn’t it lucky that Baby slept through all that noise?’’
She took the teacups into the kitchen and I heard her scream and the cups crash to the floor．When I got there，water was dripping slowly from the ceiling and forming a pool on the floor．The baby woke up at last and started to cry． Questions： 1)Why did the author know the flat was on fire?He saw smoke coming through the letter box and under the door，and smelt something burning． 2)Why didn’t the old lady open the door?Because she was getting dressed． 3)What was the lady doing when the water heater in the kitchen exploded? She was having a bath．
She went up to help the old lady clear up the mess.
5)Why did his wife scream? Because the cups crashed to the floor． Passage 8
I would like to propose 1 hat for sixty to ninety minutes each evening，right after the early evening news，all television broadcasting in the United States be prohibited by law．
Let us take a serious，reasonable look at what the results might be if such a proposal were accepted．Families might use the time for a real family hour．Without the distraction of TV，they might sit around together after dinner and actually talk to one another．It is well known that many of our problems—everything，in fact，from the generation gap to the high divorce rate to some forms of mental illness-are caused at least in part by failure to communicate. We do not tell each other what is disturbing us．The result is emotional difficulty of one kind or another．By using the quiet family hour to discuss our problems，we might get to know each other better，and to like each other better． On evenings when such talk is unnecessary，families could rediscover more active pastimes．Freed from TV，forced to find their own activities，they might take a ride together to wach the sunset．Or they might take a walk together(remember feet?)and see the neighbor-hood with fresh，new eyes．
With free time and no TV，children and adults might rediscover reading．There is more entertainment in a good book than in a month of typical TV programming．Educators report that the generation growing up with television can barely write and English sentence，even at the college level．Writing is often learned from reading．A more literate new generation could be a product of the quiet hour．
A different form of reading might also be done，as it was in the past：reading aloud．Few pastimes bring a family closer together than gathering around and listening to mother or father read a good story．The quiet hour could become the story hour．When the quiet hour ends，the TV networks might even be forced to come up with better shows in order to get us back
from our newly discovered activities．
27 Prof．Zog said，“that there is no life on Earth．”
At first glance，the idea of an hour without TV seems radical．What will parents do without the electronic baby—sitter? How will we spend the time? But it is not radical at all．It has been only twenty-five years since television came to control American free time．Those of us thirty—five and older can remember childhoods without television，spent partly with radio-which at least involved the listener’s imagination-but also with reading．1earning,talking，playing games，inventing new activities．It wasn’t that difficult．Honest．The truth is we had a ball． Questions：
What is the writer’s proposal?
1)The proposal is that for sixty to ninety minutes each evening，right after the early evening news，all television broadcasting in the United States be prohibited by law．
In part at least，what caused the generation gap，high rate divorce rate and some forms of mental illness problems?
2)They are caused in part at least by our failure to communicate． According to the author，what could help to turn out a more literate new generation?3)Turning off TV for an hour every evening．
What effect might the idea of an hour without TV have on the TV networks? 4)They might even be forced to come up with better shows． What is the main idea of this passage? 5)We should show no television programs for about one hour every evening． passage 9 There was great excitement on the planet of Venus this week，for the first time Venusian scientists managed to land a satellite on the planet Earth，and it has been sending back signals as well as photographs ever since． The satellite was directed into an area known as Manhattan．Because of excellent weather conditions and extremely strong signals，Venusian scientists were able to get valuable information as to the feasibility of a manned flying saucer landing on Earth．A press conference was held at the Venus Institute of Technology． “We have come to the conclusion，based on last week’s satellite landing”，
“How do you know this?”The science reporter of the Venus Evening Star
asked．
“For one thing, Earth’s surface in the area of Manhattan is composed of solid concrete and nothing can grow there．For another，the atmosphere is filled with carbon monoxide and other deadly gases and nobody could possibly breathe this air and survive．”
“What does this mean as far as our flying saucer program is concerned?” “We shall have to take our own oxygen with us，which means a much heavier flying saucer than we originally planned．”
“Are there any other hazards that you discovered in your studies?” “Take a look at this photo．You see this dark black cloud hovering over the surface of Earth? We call this the Consolidated Edison Bell．We don’t know what it is made of，but it could give us a lot of trouble and we shall have to make further tests before we send a Venus Being there．” “Over here you will notice what seems to be a river，but the satellite findings indicate it is polluted and the water is unfit to drink．This means we shall have to carry our own water，which will add even greater weight to the saucer．’’
“Sir，what are all those tiny black spots on the photographs?”
“We are not certain．They seem to be metal particles that move along certain paths．They emit gases，make noise and keep crashing into each other．There are so many of these paths and so many metal particles that it is impossible to land a flying saucer without its being smashed by one．” “What are those stalagmite projections sticking up?”
“They are some type of granite formations that give off light at night．Prof．Glom has named them skyscrapers since they seem to be scraping the skies．”
“If all you say is true, won’t this set back the flying saucer program several years?”
“Yes，but we shall proceed as soon as the Grubstart gives us the added funds．”
“Prof．Zog，why are we spending billions and billions of zilches to land
a flying saucer on Earth when there is no life there?”
28 All my life I’ve been registering scores like that，so that I have the
“Because if we Venusians can 1earn to breathe in an Earth atmosphere, then we can 1ive anywhere．” Questions：
1)What caused the excitement on the planet Venus?
1)For the first time Venusian scientists managed to land a atellite on the planet Earth and it has been sending back signals as well as photographs ever since．
2)What 1ed the Venusian scientists to believe that there is no life on Earth?
For one thing，Earth’s surface in the area of Manhattan is composed of solid concrete and nothing can grow there．For another，the atmosphere is filled with carbon monoxide and other deadly gases and nobody could possibly breathe this air and survive．
3)What，according to Prof．Zog，will add weight to the saucer? They will have to take oxygen and water with them．
4)Why does Prof．Zog think it impossible to land a flying saucer on Earth without its being smashed?
Because there are so many paths and so many metal particles． 5)What do the“tiny black spots”refer to,in fact?Vehicles． 6)The tone of the essay is ．Humorous and satirical． 7)The purpose of the author in writing this book is .
The author wishes to call our attention to the fact that modern man has polluted his environment to such an extent that he might destroy himself if he went on like this．
8)what does the“dark cloud”on the photograph a11ude to(暗指)? The polluted air hovering over the surface of Earth． Passage 10
What is intelligence，anyway?when I was in the army I received a kind of aptitude test that a11 soldiers took and，against a norrnal of 100，scored 160．No one at the base had ever seen a figure like that and for two hours they made a big fuss over me．(It didn’t mean anything．the next day I was still a buck private with KP as my highest duty)
complacent feeling that I'm highly intelligent，and I expect other people to think so，too．Actually，though，don't such scores simply mean that I am very good at answering the type of academic questions that are considered worthy of answers by the people who make up the intelligence tests-people with intellectual bents similar to mine?
For instance，I had an auto-repair man once，who，on these intelligence tests,could not possibly have scored more than 80，by my estimate．I always took it for granted that I was far intelligent than he was．Yet，when anything went wrong with my car I hastened to him with it，watched him anxiously as he explored its vitals，and listened to his pronouncements as though they were divine oracles--and he always fixed my car．
Well then，suppose my auto-repair man devised questions for an intelligence test，or suppose a carpenter did，or a farmer，or，indeed，almost anyone but an academician．By every one of those tests，I’d prove myself a moron．And I’d be a moron，too．In a world where I could not use my academic training and my verbal talents but had to do something intricate or hard，working with my hands，I would do poorly．My intelligence，then，is not absolute，its worth is determined by the society I live in．Its numerical evaluation is determined by a small subsection of that society which has managed to foist itself on the rest of us as an arbiter of such matters．
Consider my auto repair man，again．He had a habit of telling me jokes whenever he saw me．One time he raised his head from the automobile hood to say：“Doc，a deaf—and dumb guy went into a hardware store to ask for some nails．He put two fingers together on the counter and made hammering motions with the other hand．The clerk brought him a hammer．He shook his head and pointed to the two fingers he was hammering．The clerk brought him nails．He picked out the sizes he wanted，and left．Well，doc，the next guy who came in was a blind man．He wanted scissors．How do you suppose he asked for them?”
I lifted my right hand and made scissoring motions with my first two fingers．Whereupon my auto- repair man laughed heartily and said，“Why，
29 you dumb fool，he used his voice and asked for them．”Then he said smugly，deal of one--upmanship．Although I’m not expected to observe or even know
“I've been trying that on all my customers today．”“Did you catch many?”
I asked．“Quite a few，”he said，“but I knew for sure I’d catch you．”“Why is that?”I asked．“Because you’re so goddamned educated，doc，I knew you couldn’t be very smart．”
And I have an uneasy feeling he had something there． Questions：
What is the normal score of the aptitude test according to the passage? all the rules，as a foreigner，I’ve had to learn the expressions of politeness and protest that accompany a leave taking．
The Chinese feel they must see a guest off to the farthest point in sight down flight of stairs to the street below or perhaps all the way to the nearest bus stop．I’ve sometimes waited half an hour or more for my husband to return．
For a less important or a younger guest，he may simply say，“I wouldn’t’1)It is 100．
Was the author promoted after he got the exceptionally high score on the aptitude test?2)No． How did the author answer the auto——repair man’s questions about a blind man asking for scissors?3)He lifted his right hand and made scissoring motions with his first two fingers．
Was he certain that the author would be caught when the auto——repair man tried the tricky question?4)Yes，he was．
What is the author's attitude toward“intelligence”?
5)The author knows from experience that intelligence is a relative matter，it is not absolute． Passage 11 Why is it that when you study a foreign language，you never learn the little phrases that let you slip into a culture without all your foreign edges? Every Chinese language textbook starts with the standard phrase for greeting people，but as an American，1 often found myself tongue tied when it came to seeing guests off at the door．An abrupt goodbye would not do，yet that was all I had ever learned from the awful books．So I would smile and nod，seeking words to make them feel they would be welcome to come again．In confusion，I often hid be—hind the skirts of my Chinese husband’s graciousness． Finally，listening to others，I began to pick up phrases that eased relations and sent people off with a feeling of mission not only accomplished but also surpassed．
Partings for the Chinese involve a certain amount of ritual and a great
t see you off，all right? And of course the guest assures him that he would never think of putting him to take the trouble to see him off．“Don’t see me off! Don’t see me off!” When I am the guest being seen off，my protests are to no avail．My hostess or／and host insists on seeing me down the stairs and well on my way，with our going through the“Don’t bother to see me off”ritual at every landing．If I try to go fast to prevent them from following，they are simply put to the discomfort of having to run after me．Better to accept the inevitable．
What do you say when you part from someone?“Go slowly．”To the Chinese it means。”Take car”or” Watch your steps”，but translated literally it means“Go slowly”．The same“slowly”is used in another polite expression by the host and hostess at the end of a delicious meal to assure their guests what poor and inadequate host and hostess they have been．
The Chinese take pride in“modesty”and the Americans in“straightforwardness”．When her cooking ski11s are praised，an American hostess would say．“Oh，I’m so glad you like it．I cooked it especially for you．”But the Chinese host or hostess will instead apologize for giving you“nothing”even slightly edible and for not showing enough honors by providing proper dishes．
These examples show that American and Chinese cultures are at opposite poles．But once you’ve learned the signals and how to respond，life becomes much easier．When guests come，I know I should immediately ask if they’d like a cup of tea．They will respond．“Please don’t bother．”which is my signal to fetch tea．
Questions：
How did the author feel when she sawa guest off at the door?
1)She often found herself tongue-tied when it came to seeing guests off． According to the author，what are the expressions of politeness to see a guest off some—times?
2)The host and hostess must see a guest off to the farthest point in sight-down flight of stairs to the street below or perhaps all the way to the nearest bus stop．
30 If the average reader can read 300 words a minute of average reading，
then in 15 minutes he can read 4，500 words．Multiplied by 7，the days of the week，the product is 31，500 words．Another multiplication by 4，the weeks of the month，makes 126，000．And final multiplication by 12，the months of the year，is the total number of words an average reader can read in just15 minutes a day for one year Books vary in length from 60，000 to 100，000 words．The average is about 75，000 words．In one year，an average reader reading an average book for What usually happens to the author when she is the guest being seen off? 3)When I am the guest being seen off，my protests are to no avail．My hostess or／and host insists on seeing me down the stairs and well on my way，with our going through the“Don’t bother to see me off ritual at every landing．If I try to go fast to prevent them from following，they are simply put to the discomfort of having to run after me．” What do the American host and hostess day when their meal is praised? 4)They would say that they are so glad you like it．They cooked it specially for you．
What is the signal for the author to fetch a cup of tea? 5)“P1ease don’t bother”
The author wants to illustrate that＿?
6)people should try to increase their awareness of cultural differences and study them,． Passage 12
If you are an average reader，you can read an average book at the rate of 300 words a minute．You cannot maintain that average，however，unless you read regularly everyday．Nor can you attain that speed with hard books in science，mathematics，agriculture，business，or any subject that is new or unfamiliar to you．The chances are you will never attempt that speed with poetry or want to race through some passages in fiction over which you wish to linger．But for most novel，biographies，and books about travel，hobbies or personal interests，if you are an average reader，you should have no trouble at all absorbing meaning and pleasure out of 300 printed words every 60 seconds．
15 minutes a day，20 books will be read．That is a lot of books．It is 4 times the number of books read by public--library borrowers in America．And yet it is easily possible． How can I find time to read?
The answer may not be the last 15 minutes before I go to sleep．It may be 15 minutes a day at some other time. In the busiest of calendars there is probably more than one
15—minute period still unassigned．
There is no universal solution to the problem of finding time for reading．Each of us must find our own 1 5 minute period each day．It is better if it is regular．Then all additional spare minutes are so many bonuses．And，believe me，the opportunities for reading the bonuses are many and unexpected．Last night an uninvited guest turned P to make five for bridge．I had a paperback at hand to make being the fifth at bridge a joy． The only requirement is the will to read．With it you can find the 15 minutes no matter how busy the day is．And you must have your books at hand．Not even seconds of your 15 minutes must be wasted．Set your books Out in advance．Keep one beside your bed．Place one in your bedroom．Put one near your dining table．Place one into your pocket when you dress．
You cannot escape reading 15 minutes a day，and that means you will read half a book a week，2 books a month，20 books a year，and 1，OOO or more in a reading lifetime．It is an easy way for you to become well-read． Questions：
At what rate does an average reader read an average book?